Chapter 944: Act 117 – The Great Migration
The light in the valley soon became bright and abundant, resembling a vast green field. As Brendel squinted to admire this beautiful scene, he casually answered QiYala’s questions about the traveling mage—most of which skirted around the secrets he preferred not to mention, but were still sufficient to sketch a mysterious and rich outline in the young girl’s mind.
Unbeknownst to QiYala, Brendel quietly integrated the Halloween Peak into his mage’s world; this snow-capped holy mountain was adjacent to the Storm Nest, painting a light cyan ridge against the horizon of the gem plains.
About half an hour later, the scouts finally brought back news from outside—
There were no signs of the Jotungrund people outside the valley, but a small number of cave dwellers were stationed on the plain. These cave dwellers seemed more like a poorly equipped garrison rather than the main force of the Jotungrund. With this news, Brendel felt reassured; it indicated that the main force of the Jotungrund had indeed gone to Yasar, leaving behind these old, weak, and sickly individuals simply to prevent any trouble for the defenders of Ruin Port. However, it was clear that this was impossible, as the city guards in the empire’s interior, apart from noble private soldiers and knights, had no combat capability at all.
In addition, Rogers and others brought back another piece of good news:
They had made contact with the garrison at Ruin Port.
……
Ruin Port—
The largest port south of the Sublime Sea, the New Pearl of the Sea, is most famous for its enormous white towers along the bay, relics left from the Age of the Saints’ War. The Minren gathered residual magical energy from the air using these towering structures that reach hundreds of meters in height. This technique has long since been lost after the Saints’ War, but even after a millennium, a few of these towers still function. However, their owners have changed to the coastal Anziluwa people. These towers continue to reduce in number at a rate of two every decade, and it is expected that in thirty years, the last tower will cease operations due to equipment aging. After that, these white spires will truly become witnesses of history, potentially disintegrating from the winds or permanently standing by the coastline, becoming a unique and everlasting sight in this bay.
The emissary group from Erluin saw these legendary white towers as they crossed the coastal plains, standing solitary against the distant sky, resembling windmills without blades. The Erluin members in the group expressed admiration for the spectacular scenery, even easing the tension in the urgent situation; meanwhile, the more accustomed Cruz people appeared much grimmer, their gazes drawn more towards the faint pillars of smoke in the northern sky, indicating that, as Brendel had predicted, several dragons had already arrived at the port, though whether they only burned ships remained unknown.
Most people turned their gazes towards the center of the group—where Brendel was—though he confidently assured that there would definitely be ships in the port.
Although they had notified the port ahead of time, the reception was quite cold. The soldiers leading them into the city wore indifferent expressions, only glancing curiously at the long line of Cruz nobles trailing behind them, as if hope had been extinguished. Once they entered the port, the crowd realized that the situation in Ruin City was also grim; it seemed that the queen of dragons had wreaked havoc here beforehand, with charred building remnants and evidence of explosions everywhere. The group passed several temples, where the outer squares were crowded with groaning injured people. Upon witnessing these scenes, everyone instinctively fell silent.
After they had traversed half the port, the local governor finally arrived to welcome them. The lord of Ruin Port was originally the second son of Earl Orkans, but he had died a few days ago during the dragon attack on the port. At this moment, the entire city was being managed by the port’s administrator, Viscount Wollas, a man lacking ambition and competence. Initially, he had been unwilling to take the time to receive these Erluin people upon receiving the guard’s report of their arrival at the port, as Rogers had not pointed out that there were Cruz nobles among the emissary group—especially Earl Orkans and others—but once Brendel added that detail during the second confirmation, the underlings quickly rushed over, cursing those annoying Erluin people for causing him trouble—the group had Earl Orkans among them; why hadn’t they said so earlier!
Little did he know, it was his Cruz compatriots who had played him.
Unfazed by the news of his son’s death, Earl Orkans appeared quite calm. With six sons, the unexpected deaths of subordinates and offspring were common in such times of turmoil. Not to mention, he was a military man. After listening to Wollas’s apologies, he even comforted him, leaving the latter stunned. Next came the power transfer of the city lord; Wollas truly had no skills, turning the simple handover process into a convoluted and error-ridden affair, much to Brendel’s amusement. The person most adept at administrative work under him was none other than Antinna, and even a simple comparison highlighted the stark difference—if anything, it was somewhat insulting to the aide; they simply did not belong to the same world.
Earl Orkans, feeling embarrassed, also wore a gloomy expression. If not for the fact that the other had some achievements, and that there was currently no one else in the port with relevant experience, this poor viscount might have been thrown into prison on the spot—his disorganized accounts alone would suffice.
Eventually, the earl could no longer bear to watch and directly asked, “Are there any ships in the port that can sail on the seas?”
Wollas’s face fell at this question, and he replied with a grimace, “My lord, don’t speak of vessels capable of ocean voyages; just a few days ago we were attacked by a group of dragon beasts, and I fear there may not even be a small skiff in the port now.”
When Earl Orkans asked this question, he was not the only one present; upon hearing Viscount Wollas’s response, everyone immediately turned their gaze towards Brendel amidst the crowd.
Brendel certainly knew what they wanted to ask.
He waved his hand to reassure everyone, “No need to worry. If I say there are ships available, there will naturally be, but before that, we need to prepare two things.”
As he spoke, the faint disturbance among the crowd quickly calmed, and Viscount Wollas, witnessing this, couldn’t help but be startled. He had initially assumed that they should be led by Earl Orkans, but now it appeared the true leader was this young man. Not even knowing Brendel’s identity as the Erluin representative, he examined him for a moment longer, wondering who this guy was—could he be an illegitimate child of some great duke?
But had he known that Brendel was merely the head of this emissary group, he would have been even more astonished.
Seeing everyone settle down, Brendel continued, “First, we need a berth. Mr. Wollas, are there still special berths available in the port?”
Wollas became momentarily taken aback and instinctively said, “My lord, a special berth is—”
“I naturally know what that is,” Brendel interrupted him, displeasure evident in his voice. “You only need to answer whether there is one or not. As for what was originally in the berth, I am not concerned; just clear it out for me, even if it’s the queen’s own ship. If any problems arise, take responsibility towards me.”
This blunt tone nearly stunned Wollas, who then glanced towards Earl Orkans for confirmation. Once he saw the latter’s affirming expression, he respectfully answered Brendel, “There are, my lord. Whether it’s the special berth or the anchor posts for skiffs, whatever you need is available, because at this moment, we can’t seem to find a single ship in the port. Not to mention ships, even finding a floating piece of wood on the water’s surface is difficult, as it has all turned to ash from the big lizards’ flames. Moreover, they have also set fire to the forests outside the city.”
Viscount Wollas explained lamentably, “They do not realize that the wood used for Ruin Port’s shipyard is all imported…”
“That will suffice.” Brendel waved his hand, cutting off his unnecessary chatter. “You go find someone to clear the berth for us. I will send someone to assist you; you are responsible for them and will meet all their requirements. Do you understand?”
“All requirements?” Wollas, trembling, looked towards Earl Orkans, awaiting affirmation, and once he received a nod from the latter, he answered in a respectful manner, “I understand, my lord.”
Brendel then realized that although this man lacked capability, at least he was obedient, which explained why Orkans’s son had made him a deputy. This compliant nature was indeed refreshing compared to Antinna, whose political ability might score a 99, yet she had too many demands of the lord, often questioning his decisions to the point of frustration.
“Secondly,” Brendel addressed the others, “the queen of dragons may not allow us to act freely; destruction is inevitable. We need to determine a safe route and confirm the movements of the Jotungrund army outside the city. In short, we need to have a comprehensive understanding of the current situation and the environment surrounding Ruin Port. We will need one to two days before departing; I do not wish to see the cave dwellers suddenly appearing at our doorstep during this time. Earl Orkans, this matter will fall to you as the local lord.”
Earl Orkans glanced at him and nodded slightly.
“Mr. Wollas.” After Earl Orkans acknowledged, Brendel called for the local administrator, “Could you kindly assist us with one more matter?”
“Please give your orders, my lord, and I will surely comply,” Wollas quickly answered, now understanding the young man’s extraordinary status.
Brendel was quite satisfied with his response and smiled slightly. “It’s not a big deal. I hope you can find a healer from the city; we have injured people in our group.”
Wollas immediately understood, realizing that after the emissary group escaped beneath the noses of the Jotungrund army, that had to have been a fierce battle. In fact, he had been startled to hear that the Erluin emissary group had arrived at the port; to him, it seemed unbelievable that the Jotungrund could drive the empire into retreat, but the Erluins in the Valgris area had somehow survived and even brought Earl Orkans’s party back—this Earl was undoubtedly formidable.
Yet, no matter how formidable, if there was a battle, injuries were to be expected. But the viscount never imagined that the so-called members of Brendel at this moment—there would be only one person indeed, the Chancellor’s Daughter, whose condition had been fluctuating since that night, nearly losing her life at one point. Brendel would have never thought that in the end, this manic woman had been saved by the unaware Lady Misreale at the last moment.
Later, the Lady of the Silver Dragon informed him that she had thought the human girl was Brendel’s friend, who had acted in gratitude for Brendel’s rescue. At this, Brendel could only smile ruefully, as they had certainly had a twist of fate that time.
Truth be told, he felt for Delphine at this moment, dying might be easier than living for her.
Because even the dragon tribe was not omnipotent; the Lady of the Silver Dragon could at most only keep her alive, and this process itself was immensely painful. For her, the days that had passed were probably worse than hell—if only she could feel it. And since Delphine was still alive, Brendel certainly could not suggest putting her out of her misery with a sword; no one would willingly invite trouble. And since they had arrived at the port, the primary priority now was to find a qualified healer for the Chancellor’s Daughter.
This worked out nicely, Brendel thought; at least it would earn him a favor from the Chancellor. And even if the lady could barely survive, she would probably spend the rest of her life lying in bed and would have no chance of coming back to trouble him.
Wollas relayed Brendel’s requests and then suddenly remembered something, hurriedly finding Brendel, who was discussing the route with Earl Orkans, QiYala, and others, and asked, “My lords, if you want to understand the cave dwellers outside the city, I think we can take a look at the city walls right now.”
“Hmm?” Although their acquaintance was brief, Brendel could tell that Wollas wouldn’t speak without reason, so he stopped to ask, “What’s going on? Is there something unusual?”
“My lord, those cave dwellers outside the city seem a bit different…”
“A bit different?”
Wollas nodded cautiously.
……
When they reached the not-so-high walls of Ruin Port, Brendel quickly realized the differences among the cave dwellers stationed on the plains. These cave dwellers were as Rogers reported—disorganized, poorly equipped, and clearly a low-combat capability garrison. But beyond the weapon-bearing cave dweller warriors, there were many unarmed civilians in the cave dwellers’ camp, or perhaps they could be called cave dweller laborers.
These laborers made up a significant proportion of the cave dwellers in the camp, busy constructing makeshift shelters and managing some peculiar creatures. Initially, the crowd thought these creatures were siege beasts prepared by the Jotungrund to attack Ruin Port, but later discovered they were hoofed beasts, akin to cattle and sheep in the surface world, serving as livestock for the cave dwellers.
“Are these cave dwellers part of the logistics team?” Sir Cooper murmured as he observed the scene. “No, wait, how would a logistics team come to Ruin Port? It doesn’t seem right!”
Cooper’s words triggered an insight in Brendel; he soon realized that the actions of the Jotungrund did not resemble raiding the surface so much as migrating or colonizing.
But this did not align with the general behavior patterns of underground beings; the surface world was not a comfortable living environment for them, as most underground creatures would go blind in strong light, and the bright sunlight of the surface world was far too glaring.
So what were they doing?
Brendel was filled with questions, but fortunately, it seemed there was someone in the emissary group who could answer him.
He immediately sent the young prince to summon Laisimeka.
Before long, the medusa made her way up from below the city, her appearance causing a stir within the crowd; people parted to give way for this lady from the depths of Jotungrund. Laisimeka navigated through the crowd and approached Brendel—this was the first opportunity he had to meet her face to face, even though she had long ago sent the young prince to express her desire to meet him.
However, Brendel fully understood the nature of the inhabitants of Jotungrund, and if possible, he actually preferred not to trust this woman.
He turned to look at the lady who caused a stir among the crowd, noticing her vibrant snake hair—resembling poisonous snakes hissing. Her face was beautiful, smooth and flawless like a statue of an ancient Greek goddess. Beneath her long brows, her amber eyes held vertically slit pupils; if one overlooked her long hair, eyes, and the fine scales on her forehead, she could indeed be considered a beauty.
After hearing Brendel’s description and having directly seen the cave dwellers and their livestock atop the city walls, the Lady Medusa seemed to have anticipated this. She calmly and affirmatively replied:
“My lord, you are not mistaken; they are migrating.”
“And in fact, this is the great migration of the Jotungrund that has not been seen in a thousand years.”
Her voice was melodious, reminiscent of a siren’s song.
